Remote Screening And Self-Monitoring For Vision Loss Diseases Based On Smartphone Applications

Remote Healthcare Monitoring System (RHMS) represents remote observing of patient’s well-being and providing therapeutic services. Sensors play an essential part in RHMs. They measure the physical parameters and give continuous information to health organizations, doctors. The presence of Smartphones and other portable devices have allowed us to utilize remote healthcare monitoring system for an assortment of structures. Also, Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) advances considered as one of the critical research factor healthcare application for enhancing the standard of living. In this dissertation, I have presented three tiers operating in the remote healthcare monitoring system; the Body Area Network (BAN), the PAN Coordinator and the Back- Medical End System (BMEsys). The three tiers focused on several patients PAN coordinators include the Wireless Sensor Network. The Wireless Sensor Network can be used at the fixed tale-monitor location and periodic measurements. The Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) can be used in patients own home or community setting with continuous measurements and smartphones can be utilized anywhere with full range parameters, and I have provided a meaningful utilization comparison between Wireless Sensor Network, PDA and smartphone in Remote Healthcare Monitoring System (HRMs) architecture design. Evaluate the approaches of the healthcare monitoring system architecture and investigate the use of advanced technologies enabling the patient vital signs and diagnostic medical team in real-time. This dissertation demonstrates that how a Smartphone can be used for medical treatment in the field of Ophthalmology and discussed how a Smartphone and its technology could be used to diagnose loss of eye vision. Most recent smartphones have been equipped with a featured camera with high megapixels and advanced sensors which can be used to record fundus photographs through a slit lamp or record videos from an operating microscope and display images from optical coherence tomography systems and other high-tech devices. The ophthalmologists can share these images and analyze with their colleagues utilizing media sharing applications and make the optimal diagnostic and therapeutic results to diagnose the low vision of patients. At present, three widely used pocket-sized adapters can improve the magnification and lighting of the camera, which enables the smartphones to capture high-quality images of the eye. These are Portable Eye Examination Kit (PEEK), EyeGo, and D-Eye. Peek Adapter consists of a smartphone application and retina adapter which can be clipped onto the device and synchronized with the peek application for sharing and analyzing the images. This adapter can be used by anyone and anywhere in the world to examine eyes. EyeGo is an adapter intended to allow ophthalmologists and healthcare specialists to capture high-quality images of the eye using an ophthalmic lens. D-Eye Adapter is one of the extensively used adapters which yield excellent results. It consists of a portable eye and retinal system that fits onto a smartphone creating a retinal camera for evaluation and screening of the eye. It uses LED lights as a light source and requires no extra power, making it an ideal solution for portable diagnostics. The medical field has widely accepted these adaptors with the smartphones for diagnosing low vision and eye-related infections. In this dissertation, I also provide a meaningful utilization comparison between the smartphone adapters: D-Eye, EyeGo and Portable Eye Examination Kit (PEEK). In this dissertation, I have developed a new App (Remote Healthcare-Monitoring Mobile App) to help patients who have low vision and who are suffering from the diseases which may cause a vision loss. This app is capable of a process, evaluate, interact and store health data which is continuously measured by (Personal Health Monitors). This App can exchange the information directly to the Smartphone users (patients) and the doctor who allows more security and privacy. The idea of the App consists of the following: A Smartphone Application, a Data Collection Center, and Professionals in Ophthalmology. The patient should be registered in the system, for example, (Retina Michigan Center or Glaucoma Michigan Center). After registration, the patient is instructed on how to take photos of his/her eyes correctly, and then use the Smartphone application. The patient takes photos of his/her eyes and sends them to the data collection center, the specialists get access to these data and help in the treatment according to the analysis. Finally, I completed the development of the Mobile app (including the Skype and Viber links), which can help in exchanging the information between the patient and the doctor

Superfluidity of Dense 4^4He in Vycor

We calculate properties of a model of $^4$He in Vycor using the Path Integral Monte Carlo method. We find that $^4$He forms a distinct layered structure with a highly localized first layer, a disordered second layer with some atoms delocalized and able to give rise to the observed superfluid response, and higher layers nearly perfect crystals. The addition of a single $^3$He atom was enough to bring down the total superfluidity by blocking the exchange in the second layer. Our results are consistent with the persistent liquid layer model to explain the observations. Such a model may be relevant to the experiments on bulk solid $^4$He, if there is a fine network of grain boundaries in those systems.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Vitamin K effects in human health: new insights beyond bone and cardiovascular health

Vitamin K is a cofactor for the function of the enzyme \u3b3-glutamyl carboxylase, necessary for the activation of multiple vitamin K dependent-proteins. Vitamin K dependent-proteins (VKDPs) have important roles in bone health, vascular health, metabolism, reproduction as well as in cancer progression. Vitamin K deficiency is common in different conditions, including kidney disease, and it may influence the activity of VKDPs. This review discusses vitamin K status in human health and the physiologic and pathologic roles of VKDPs, beyond the established effects in skeletal and cardiovascular health

Acute spontaneous extraconal hematic cyst of the orbit

AbstractA 49year old man presented with one day history of mild right eye pain and proptosis. There was no definite history of trauma. On examination there was limitation of movement in all directions of gaze and 6mm proptosis of his right eye. CT scan showed extraconal lesion compressing the optic nerve and inferior rectus muscle. Right inferior conjunctival fornix based approach was performed with lateral canthotomy and inferior cantholysis and exploration revealed a cyst containing blood which was removed

Developmental and Degenerative Cardiac Defects in the Taiwanese Mouse Model of Severe Spinal Muscular Atrophy

We would like to acknowledge the Microscopy and Histology Core Facility at the University of Aberdeen, Kevin Mackenzie, Debbie Wilkinson, Gillian Milne and Lucy Wight, for the use of their facilities. G.K.M. was funded by a research award from RGA awarded to S.H.P. E.S. was funded by a University of Aberdeen Elphinstone PhD Studentship and a research award from the Euan Macdonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research. H.K.S. was funded by a Euan Macdonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research PhD Studentship. S.H.P. is funded by Tenovus (Scotland), SMA Trust and Prinses Beatrix Spierfonds. T.H.G. is funded by SMA Trust (UK SMA Research Consortium Award), Muscular Dystrophy UK, and Anatomical Society (PhD Studentship).Peer reviewedPostprin

Frequency of conjugative transfer of plasmid-encoded ISEcp1 - blaCTX-M-15 and aac(6')-lb-cr genes in Enterobacteriaceae at a tertiary care center in Lebanon - role of transferases

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The frequency of transfer of genes encoding resistance to antimicrobial agents was determined by conjugation in ESBL-producing and/or fluoroquinolone or aminoglycoside resistant Enterobacteriaceae clinical isolates at a tertiary care center in Lebanon. In addition, the role of <it>tra </it>genes encoding transferases in mediating conjugation was assessed.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Conjugation experiments were done on 53 ESBL-producing and/or fluoroquinolone resistant <it>E. coli </it>and <it>K. pneumoniae </it>and ESBL-producing <it>S. sonnei </it>isolates. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing on parent and transconjugant isolates, and PCR amplifications on plasmid extracts of the resistance-encoding genes: <it>bla</it>_CTX-M-15with the <it>ISEcp1 </it>insertion sequence, the <it>aac(6')-lb-cr </it>and <it>qnr</it>S genes, as well as <it>tra </it>encoding transferases genes were done. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was performed to demonstrate whether conjugative isolates are clonal and whether they are linked epidemiologically to a particular source.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Antimicrobial susceptibility testing on transconjugants revealed that 26 out of 53 (49%) ESBL-producing <it>Enterobacteriaceae </it>were able to transfer antimicrobial resistance to the recipients. Transfer of high-level resistance to the transconjugants encoded by the <it>bla</it>_CTX-M-15gene downstream the <it>ISEcp1 </it>insertion sequence against 3rd generation cephalosporins, and of low-level resistance against ciprofloxacin, and variable levels of resistance against aminoglycosides encoded by <it>aac(6')-lb-cr </it>gene, were observed in transconjugants. <it>tra </it>encoding transferase genes were detected exclusively in conjugative isolates.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In conclusion, the frequency of transfer of antimicrobial resistance in non clonal <it>Enterobacteriaceae </it>at the tertiary care center by conjugation was 49%. Conjugation occurred in isolates expressing the <it>tra </it>encoding transferase genes. Multiple conjugative strains harboring the plasmid encoded antimicrobial resistant genes were circulating in the medical center. Molecular epidemiology analysis showed that conjugative isolates are neither clonal nor linked to a particular site and transfer of antimicrobial resistance is by horizontal transfer of plasmids.</p

Implementing Distributed Controllers for Systems with Priorities

Implementing a component-based system in a distributed way so that it ensures some global constraints is a challenging problem. We consider here abstract specifications consisting of a composition of components and a controller given in the form of a set of interactions and a priority order amongst them. In the context of distributed systems, such a controller must be executed in a distributed fashion while still respecting the global constraints imposed by interactions and priorities. We present in this paper an implementation of an algorithm that allows a distributed execution of systems with (binary) interactions and priorities. We also present a comprehensive simulation analysis that shows how sensitive to changes our algorithm is, in particular changes related to the degree of conflict in the system.Comment: In Proceedings FOCLASA 2010, arXiv:1007.499

Comparison of QTLs mapped in RILs and their test-cross progenies of tropical maize for insect resistance and agronomic traits

QuantItatIve traIt lOCI (QTL) affectlllg resIstance to south-western corn borer Dzatraea grandzosella (SWCB) and sugarcane borer Dzatraea saccharalzs (SCB) have been Identmed prevIOusly III F 23 lInes and recomblllant Illbred lInes (RILs) of tropIcal maJ.Ze uSlllg restnctlOn fragment length polymorphIsm (RFLP) analyses. Our 0 bJectlve was to detenrune whether QTLs IdentIfied III these generatIOns are also expressed III testcrosses (TC) of RILs A population of 166 TC progemes was developed by crosslllg RILs from the cross CML131 (susceptIble) x CML67 (resIstant) WIth the unrelated, susceptIble tester lIne CML216. ReSIstance to first-generatIOn SWCB, measured as leaf-feedmg damage (LFD) under artIfiCIal mfestatlOn, and other agronomIc traIts were evaluated m two envIronments for the TC progemes and three enVIronments for 183 RILs The correlatIon between Ime per se and TC performance was low for LFD and mtermeruate for most agronormc traIts EstImates of the genotYPIc vanance and hentabllItIes were smaller m the TC progemes than m the RILs for all traIts QuantItatIve traIt lOCI were IdentIfied usmg an RFLP Imkage map WIth 136 lOCI For LFD, four QTLs were detected m the TC progemes, of whIch two were m common WIth nme QTLs preVIously mapped m the RILs Few QTLs for agronolillc traits were common to the two types of progeny, because of the low consIstency of QTL pOSItIons for all traIts m RIL and TC progemes, the use of TC progemes should be conSIdered m QTL mappmg sturues as the first step for marker-assIsted selectIOn m hybnd breedm